DIY By Design : Blog of Rayfields Decorating

How to use decorators caulk

One on the most useful tools you should have in your DIY toolbox is a caulking gun, you can use this gun for a variety of sealants from silicone sealant to decorators caulk. These guns usually come in two sizes, a small or large, I think its always worth getting a large gun so you can use all sizes of tubes, large guns will take tubes of 380ml and cost around £4-5.

Knowing how to use decorators caulk

Decorators caulk is a flexible sealer / filler. It is used to fill gaps around skirting boards, door architraves, window and door frames cove / cornice and ceiling / wall line and anywhere there maybe movement. Once the decorators caulk dries it remains flexible and moves without cracking, unlike traditional powder fillers.

To use decorators caulk isn’t difficult and once you get the knack its easy.

Getting started

You will need the following:

A tube of decorators caulk, with nozzle

A caulking gun

A knife to cut top off tube and nozzle

A damp sponge or some water

The first thing you will need to do is remove the nozzle from the tube, then take your knife and cut the top off of the tube (be careful), next you need to cut a small amount off the end of the nozzle, cut this at about a 45° angle, don’t cut too much off, you want the end of the nozzle about the same size as the gap you’re filling. You can always cut more off of the nozzle if you need to later. Now screw the nozzle onto the tube and put the tube into the caulking gun.

Using decorators caulk

Once you have the tube and nozzle prepared and loaded into the gun you’re ready to apply the caulk. Gently squeeze the trigger until a little caulk comes out of the nozzle, you are now ready to apply the decorators caulk.

Place the nozzle at the beginning of the crack or gap you’re filling, gently apply even pressure to the trigger as you move the gun along the gap, you will leave decorators caulk along the crack or gap, once you reach the end, remove the gun and release the trigger release lever to stop caulk from continuing to run out from the end of the tube.

Now take a damp good quality sponge (so it doesn’t leave bits in the caulk) or a wet finger and rub it along the crack / gap you have just applied the caulk too, this will push the caulk into the crack but also smooth it out. If you need to apply more because you have missed a bit, do the same as you have just done.

Now you have filled the crack or gap you need to let the decorators caulk time to dry and set, this could be as little as an hour but this depends on how wide and deep the area you have filled. Once dry, decorators caulk can be painted over, wallpapered and lining papered over, but can not be rubbed down.

Cleaning up

Once you’re done you can clean up by using water to wash hands and sponges, take the decorators caulk out of the caulking gun and put a nail or screw in the end of the nozzle, or wrap masking tape of the nozzle to prevent the caulk from drying out too much in the nozzle and tube. Now store the tube in your shed or garage but protect from frost and extreme temperature as this may affect the caulk.

28 Responses to “How to use decorators caulk”

Really useful stuff the old caulk! Used tons of the stuff for our new showrooms at Longtown. We keep all our doorhandles and displays in a pretty tatty looking factory building – BUT we’ve done the customer side of it up to look absolutely splendid. The old walls meant caulk was a useful little finishing off material for the bits that even our craftsmen couldn’t persuade to fit.
Cheers,
Nathan

Great tips here. Thanks for another heplful tutorial! Caulking is more important than most DIYers know. It makes a huge difference on inside trim the difference between a custom look and an incomplete job. I’m a professional housepainter, and one of the first things I do when painting interiors is make sure all joints, where trim meets the wall, or trim meets trim, are caulked. That means tops of baseboards, around all doors and windows, and the corners of window and door trim. The exceptions are when there is wallpaper or unpainted wood paneling on the walls, or when the trim is stained instead of painted.Thanks again for all the good advice.

Please help have been told to caulk down the corner of wall after wallpapering. However it has caulked fine down the plain painted wallpaper but the other wall paper is darker and has a patterned and the caulk as not left a clean line.
Please advise. Would you caulk or try and get straight neat finish using the same paint as used to paint wall.

I don’t understand what the need was to caulk in the corners was? It’s OK for lining paper if it is to be painted over but not ideal for wallpapers.
I wouldn’t caulk over wallpaper but paint a straight line.

If you are doing a feature wall, then paint the walls first, then wallpaper last up to the painted walls and cut the paper into the corner.

I have mould on some builders caulk around a window frame, what is the best thing to use, to remove this? Is it best to remove the caulk and then re do it? If so what thing to use?
Many thanks in advance for any suggestions

As caulk is acrylic cleaning mould of may only get the surface mould off, if it has gone into the caulk it could come back. You could try buying a mould remover or carefully use bleach.
But the only sure way of removing it for good I guess is remove the caulk and re do it.

Hi – I have sanded all walls and put caulk on all frames. I then went on and painted the whole room (3 coats. Now the issue I’m having is that there is a clear mark of sheen everywhere where I’ve applied caulk. Do you know how to get rid of that? thanks

Using caulk with a gun was demonstrated to me by a decorator. It looked so easy as do the video clips on line. Can anyone tell me why I find it so hard to squeeze the caulk out with the gun. I have tried two brands of caulk and found them equally hard work.